Cycles
by PimpinSharkBoy
Summary: Rin isn't the kind of person to say what he thinks easily, that's not his only flaw. From his childhood to his current life he hasn't been free. He wants to change that.
1. Cycles

Middle School

Waiting was one thing Rin was never good at. The anticipation. The patience it required. It was just irritating and he wished he could avoid it. Sticking the end of his pencil into his mouth, he chewed the tip. Class was almost over and he wanted to get out the classroom.

Glancing to his right, Rin noticed Haru staring in his direction. He started. When had the other boy started looking at him? The purple-haired boy looked closer into the other's eyes. He wasn't staring at him, he was looking out the damn window again at the friggin pool. Rin chuckled to himself slouching down into his seat.

"Rin-chan…."

He looked up towards the front of the room. He heard it again.

"Rin-chan…"

Rin looked past Haruka and to the next seat over. Makoto was trying to be inconspicuous. What did he want?

"What?" Rin asked turning his focus back towards the front of the class. If the teacher called him out again today, he would have to stay after class. He stuck the pencil back in his mouth to appear that he was chewing.

"You shouldn't chew on your pencil…"

"Thanks mom", Rin muttered. This guy was always being so protective… "What did you want?".

Makoto shifted in his seat with a smile. That smile always made Rin feel a little better. He knew he could be a bit abrasive at times but it was nice to know he wasn't being mean.

"You forgot your lunch again today right?"

Rin dropped his head to his desk silently. Somehow he 'forgot' every single day to bring his lunchbox. What ever would he do?

"I made extra so…" Makoto continued.

He received a stern glare from the teacher so he shut his mouth. Rin turned his head to face Makoto with a smile but instead met Haru's eyes. He had no idea what that boy was thinking. They held each other's gaze for a while before Haruka stared forward with a complete lack of interest. Rin knew that he and Haru were waiting for the same thing. Soon the bells would chime and it would be lunch time. Haru would probably run off to the pool but Rin actually wanted to eat today. He always managed to eat an extra lunch that Makoto had made. There was always something special in there for him.

As the bells chimed Rin popped out of his seat like an impatient child. Making his way over to Makoto, he slung his arm over the taller boy's shoulder.

"I can have the extra lunch then?" he smiled brightly.

Makoto blushed a bit before tugging on the hem of his own shirt.

With a motherly smile he replied, "Of course, I made it for you".

Rin almost froze, it was made just for him? He chuckled and went over to rub it in Haruka's face.

"Do you have a lunch Haru?" he asked smugly.

The raven-haired boy glanced at him, unamused. He knew that Rin knew damn well he didn't have a lunch. He didn't answer but hurried along with Makoto out the door of the classroom. Most of the children migrated towards the lunch room but the three boys found themselves in the school's new garden. They seated themselves near a tree to eat. Haru was about to sit next to Makoto when Rin squeezed himself between them. He knew the two were close but sometimes it bothered him just how close.

"What did you pack for me today Mako?" Rin leaned close to Makoto looking at the boxed lunches in his hands.

Makoto smiled brightly. "Same as always" he handed Rin a red lunchbox. "My mom had extra mackerel from yesterday"

Rin felt Haru perk up from beside him. The raven-haired boy leaned close to Rin. "Share" he ordered.

Like hell he was going to share! Makoto had made this for him especially. "No, eat your own" Rin stuck his tongue out at Haru. Haruka pouted, which was quickly noticed by Makoto. With a concerned look, the motherly boy spoke, "Haru...do you have a lunch?"

Haruka shook his head quickly. Makoto looked happy as he pulled out his own lunch. "Then let's share" he smiled brightly.

Rin's breath caught in his throat. They were going to share? Oh…

"Rin-chan, do you mind if Haru sits there?" Makoto asked hesitantly.

Without another word Rin moved to sit on the outside of the group. Those two could act like a married couple all they wanted, but that didn't mean he had to watch. Turning to face away, he opened the red box Makoto had given him. His eyes instantly locked on his favorite part of the meal. Peaches.

Mako always managed to stick some pickled peaches into the lunchbox, even if it didn't fit with the other flavors. Chewing the rice, Rin tuned into the conversation behind him. The air was already getting colder but that wasn't the reason Rin felt a shiver crawl up his spine. The words of his friends seemed to be louder now that he was paying attention to them.

"...Wait! Haru…."

"Not so fast….I'm not…"

"Ah! Haru!..."

Rin clenched his teeth.

"...you can't put that all in-"

Rin spun around and glared at Haru. He had his mouth full of mackerel and rice and Makoto was trying to keep him from choking. Rin sighed. These two were hopeless. How to interrupt….

"Normal friends don't touch eachother that much" Rin said smirking.

He didn't know why he was surprised to see Makoto's face turn completely red while Haruka stared at him blankly. What he wasn't expecting, was the fact that it bothered him so much. The two were incredibly close, touching intimately. Rin stood up knocking the bento onto the ground. Keeping a smile on his face he chuckled.

"Haha….I guess...I forgot to...do the homework for english later" he walked off.

He just couldn't deal with it. He was leaving soon and he just didn't want to deal with it. Since when did Haru eat Makoto's lunches? He was probably just doing it to piss him off. It had worked. When Rin had first transferred to swim with them, Makoto was the first one to really talk to him. At first, he'd thought it was common courtesy, but...it felt different. Maybe he'd been wrong, he treated everyone like that. Rin went back into the school building and passed by Nagisa's classroom. The younger boy made an amused face at him through the doorway. Rin wasn't in the mood.

~Weeks Later

The cold autumn breeze reminded Rin of what was to come. He stood under the tree where all of them had come to write their dreams of the future. Or, at least that's what Rin had written. All of the leaves had fallen off of the tree and the tournament was over. After the win, it had finally set in on Rin that he was leaving. He knew he would be leaving long ago but now it felt real. He'd said bye to the team yesterday and now he stood alone.

He wondered if it would always be like this. Always being alone behind everyone else as they were happy. With a determined look in his eyes, he turned to leave the area. He would be the one leaving everyone behind. Even Nagisa, Haru, and...Makoto. He stopped looking up into the sky. He wanted to beat Haru but leaving Makoto somehow made him hurt more. He would miss the peaches. He chuckled to himself. It was sad how something like this bothered him.

Rin didn't even hear the footsteps coming from behind him.

"RIN-CHAN!"

Rin turned slowly just in time for Makoto to double over breathing hard. This boy was always out of breath… Makoto was obviously sweaty, Rin's face relaxed. He wasn't sure what to think.

"I...forgot...to give this to you...yesterday" Makoto tried holding his hand out.

Rin looked at the small shark tooth keychain in the green-eyed boy's palm. it looked like something someone would get in a souvenir shop at an airport.

"Why do you want me to have that…?" he asked. What kind of gift was that?

Makoto stood up smiling like an idiot as always. "Well, Haru thought it would be a good idea to give you something to remember us by" his head tilted as his smile widened.

"Oh….Haru did" Rin nodded gently taking the charm with a smile. Of course it wasn't just from Makoto. "Thanks" he took the charm.

"What's wrong Rin-chan?" Makoto asked with his signature worried face.

What was wrong? He was smiling wasn't he? Rin faced a small laugh. "Whaddaya mean?" he put the charm into his pocket.

Makoto frowned. Somehow the other boy could always tell when he was hiding something. "I told you not to force yourself to smile"

Rin's face dropped. His smile hadn't been that obvious had it? Looking down at the ground avoiding Makoto's eyes, he spoke. "I'll come back…" he knew that's exactly what Makoto wanted to hear. With that Makoto smiled again. "I know Rin-chan" he hugged Rin close. In Mako's arms, Rin felt calmer. He would definitely come back,and when he did, he would be better than Haru. he would prove to Makoto that he didn't need to be babied. Slowly, his hands slid out of his pockets and around the taller boy.

When they both pulled away Makoto giggled. "What?!" Rin asked a bit flustered.

"Rin-chan smells like peaches" Makoto tried to hide his amusement. "They're still your favorite right?"

There he went again caring too much. Rin smiled genuinely, "Yep" he waved. "Bye" was all he could say in the end. Makoto waved happily at him and Rin ran home. Pulling the charm from his pocket, he held it close to his chest. He would come back better.


	2. Promise

Years later

He was supposed to be better wasn't he? That had been the whole point of all of this. He'd left to come back better. He was supposed to train hard so he wouldn't get left behind. But he'd stayed exactly the same. He still couldn't compare to the others. Rin slammed his fist into the wet tiled floor. How could this happen? He ground his teeth together. He heard someone climbing out of the pool behind him. He refused to move.

"Rin…?" Haruka asked behind him.

Everything had just come easy to him, hadn't it? Haru had always been good at swimming. The dark-haired male had always been part of the water. Rin had hoped that with practice and training he would be a match. Haruka didn't even swim for a goal. How could someone so carefree, who barely even trained, be so much better?

The smell of chlorine was making him sick. His chest felt compressed and he couldn't take a deep breath. The sound of water splashing against the edge of the pool irritated him. As water rolled down his bare arms, he pulled himself off the moist floor.

His goal seemed so far away now. Pools weren't what they used to be for him. It wasn't fun anymore. He wanted to be the best in Japan but he couldn't even beat a kid from his middle school.

"Rin I-", Haru started.

Rin spun around with the most intense expression he'd ever felt on his face. Words came to mind but he couldn't speak. His lips parted for a moment, then closed quickly. Haru was looking at him like some kind of lost puppy. Pity was almost emanating from them. He would never accept it. He had lost fair and square. Trying his best just wasn't good enough. His dreams of being a professional swimmer seemed to drift further away.

The truth was, he'd stopped swimming competitively a while ago. Maybe if he could've beat Haru this last time...But there wasn't even a chance for him. He strode quickly to the locker room.

"I have to change".

Rin walked out of the locker room hoping Haru wouldn't follow him. He didn't want to face his old friend. Confronting him would just make the hurt worse. But Haruka was following him of course.

"Rin, why're you acting like this?"

Rin snapped.

"I'm done. I'm done!" he almost screamed at Haruka before calming a bit. "I'm done swimming…"

Haru stood there looking through him like he always had. Looking down on him was more like it. He was never going to be good enough, and the sooner he accepted that, the sooner this pain would go away. He turned on his heel and ran down the hallway and out the door. His duffel bag slammed against the side of his thigh as he kept a steady pace all the way back to their old middle school. His throat felt like it was closing as he struggled to catch his breath.

He doubled over, his hands on his knees. Much to his annoyance, his back slid off his shoulder and onto the ground. He swore and kneeled down to pick it up. As he reached for it, he lost his balance and landed on his butt. He sat there not bothering to stand. A hot tear rolled down his cheek. Looking to his side he noticed he was under the same tree in the garden where he'd last hugged Makoto. How was he supposed to face him now? He looked down at the little bracelet Mako had given him when they were younger. The string had worn, but the small charm had remained the same.

"Rin-chan!"

Rin instantly recognized the voice of the one person he didn't want to see him now. He looked up to see Makoto smiling down at him. When the other boy noticed his tears, his expression became pained. He dropped to his knees.

"Rin, what happened?"

This only made things worse. He hadn't seen Makoto in almost 2 years and now the other boy had slipped back into his motherly role. But now it irritated Rin, it reminded him of Haru's pity.

"Nothing", he almost growled.

Makoto tilted his head to the side.

"Rin-chan…"

"Don't call me that!" Rin got to his feet picking up his bag. "I'm not a child".

If he could just get out of this...The bracelet on his wrist burned. Unclasping the hook Rin shoved it into his pocket.

"What happened to you…?" Makoto asked with a sadder face.

Great. Now he was gonna cry too right? According to Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and him were still swimming on the swim team. They were still getting better without him.

"Tch...nothing happened, its just annoying that you still use -chan", he put both of his hands into his pockets.

"You're a bad liar Rin-chan", Makoto frowned at him.

He always saw right through him. A cold wind blew between the two and Rin's scarf whipped up towards his face. The sun was setting and the orange color to the leafs hinted that fall was coming soon. Makoto got to his feet and brushed off his knees.

"You didn't tell me you'd be coming back. I missed you", he smiled sadly.

Rin felt his heart beat faster. Makoto had...missed him? It was strange to feel a reciprocated feeling. When he was gone, he'd thought of Makoto all the time...Along with the others. But whenever he felt down, he would look at Mako's bracelet and tell himself he would come back better. But he hadn't.

"That's weird isn't it? You could've just sent me a letter or something", Rin shrugged.

"Ah...you're right" Makoto replied quickly nodding his head. "How long are you going to be here?"

"Just for the holidays"

"Oh…" Makoto nodded. "So...you're not staying?" Rin noticed a small redness to Mako's cheeks. He was probably just cold.

"No", Rin muttered.

Makoto's face fell. A small pain flashed in Rin's chest. It had always bothered him when Makoto was sad. His green eyes always dimmed to a cloudy dark green. With another sigh, Rin pulled his hands out of his pockets and motioned towards him. Makoto's face lightened a bit and he rushed over to hug Rin tightly in his arms. Rin almost fell over but steadied himself. Returning the hug, he noticed how warm Mako was. He smelled so familiar…When Makoto pulled away, he was smiling brightly.

"What?" Rin asked.

"Rin-chan smells like peaches", he chuckled.

Rin guessed something never did change. He slid his fingers through his wet hair.

"It covers up the smell of the chlorine", he paused. "And drop the -chan".

"Wait, Rin-cha...you were just swimming?" Makoto asked. "Probably with Haru right?"

It was like a slap to the face. Haru….always talking about Haruka. What was he expecting? They'd been childhood friends since forever. The warm feeling in his chest was gone. He was probably the only one thinking about Makoto so much when he was gone. He couldn't even remember why.

"I don't swim anymore", he replied quickly meeting Mako's green eyes.

Makoto shifted his weight to one leg a bit confused. He was obviously a bit confused. When they were younger swimming was all Rin talked about.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't compete anymore", Rin repeated.

How was he supposed to say he'd given up on his dreams?

"So you wouldn't even swim with me?"

Rin dropped his gaze.

"I just don't swim in competitions".

"Y'know, its better if you just tell me what's wrong", Makoto pried. " I can help if you-".

He didn't need help. He needed to not talk about swimming. Was that the only reason they were friends? They didn't have any connection other than that at all? It was disappointing to know but Rin guessed he'd known it all along. He wanted to forget about it for now.

"I have to go", he cut Makoto off. "Seeya".

He started for his house.

"Wait, Rin-chan. Could..we at least stay in contact?" Makoto grabbed the sleeve of Rin's jacket.

Rin paused for a moment only to pull out his phone. After Makoto punched in his number, he bowed and turned to walk away.

"You'll come back again Rin?" Mako smiled.

"Of course…" he continued walking.

Even if he wasn't Makoto's most important person, he still wanted to be. He would come back. He would definitely come back. He had to now. Makoto wanted to swim with him right? Maybe he could stand to try again. Being away for long had made him forget how important his goal was. He would try again.


	3. Broken

It was obvious to Rin what was happening again. He'd leave and come back; leave and come back. And for what? Nothing in particular. Staring at the bottom of the bunk above him, he heard Nitori shift in his bed. The other boy was fast asleep and the silence in the room made Rin's thoughts seem louder. Folding his arms behind his head, he closed his eyes. Maybe he'd be able to sleep tonight unlike the night before.

His phone buzzed. Sitting up lazily, Rin ran his fingers through his hair. It was about 3 am, who was texting him? He checked his messages seeing one from Gou. She was wondering when he was going to come home again. He shut his phone off. Replying was such a hassle especially since he didn't know the answer.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and held his head in his hands. What exactly was he doing? He was basically hiding from everyone since he gave up swimming. He'd promised himself to try again but he just wasn't good enough. Trying his hardest was getting him nowhere. And if his best wasn't good enough, what more could he do? It'd been so long since he'd enjoyed swimming. It just didn't feel the same.

Stumbling out of bed, he tied his hair back. He would go for a run to clear his mind. If he was tired, he'd be able to sleep when he got back. He pulled his shoes on silently careful not to wake his roommate. His calves were still sore from his running yesterday but he'd push through it. Grabbing his jacket, Rin slipped out the door.

The cool outside air whipped across Rin's face as he jogged down the block. It's dryness stung his skin and made his eyes water. It reminded him of when he would play with his friends when he was younger. He always got tagged, and eventually made everyone run away from him. It seemed like he could never catch up to them.

Stopping to jog in place at the next stop light, he took in his surroundings. The small town looked dead from here. Not a single person was on the streets but him. His heart pounded in his chest as he slowly caught his breath. A car drove down the one-way road passing him slowly. He continued his jog down the street in the cold feeling more awake than before he left. But that was normal. He hadn't sleep properly in the past few weeks. He yawned approaching his middle school. He looked in through the gates briefly before continuing his jog. When he got back to his room, he lay on his bunk without taking his shoes off. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he passed out.

"Matsuoka-senpai?" Rin's eyes flashed open.

Nitori was standing entirely too close to him. His wide eyes showed slight concern.

"What?" Rin growled sitting up and rubbing his throbbing forehead. His body felt sluggish and sore. Coughing, he covered his mouth with his forearm.

"You didn't wake up this morning?" Nitori backed away.

Rin stared at him blankly. What the hell was he talking about? Glancing at the clock to his right he noticed the time. It was 5 in the afternoon and the sun was lowering in the sky through the window. He hadn't even heard his alarm this morning.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Rin wobbled out of bed and over to the closet.

"You seem…off…" Nitori mumbled wringing his fingers and looking at the floor. "Are you sick?"

Pulling his shirt over his head, he froze. Ever since he'd transferred to Samezuka a month ago, he'd felt off. Was it really that noticeable? On his first day, he'd wanted to join the swim team but never did. He couldn't remember being out of water this long.

"I don't know", Rin felt his head throb again. He staggered but gripped onto the wall tightly.

"Senpai!" Nitori rushed towards him. "You should go to the nurse!"

Rin waved the younger boy off. He would be fine.

"I'll just go out for a walk" he mumbled.

It set in on Rin that he'd turned his phone off. He always set his alarm on his phone and he'd completely forgotten about it. Turning it on, he watched as Nitori climbed back into his bunk. The younger boy realized he couldn't force Rin into doing anything. Opening the door to the dorm room, Rin turned on his phone. After making his way to the lobby, he saw an unread message. It was probably from his sister. He ignored it.

Stumbling out of the building, he considered Nitori's words. Maybe he was sick. He felt sweaty and uncomfortable. It had been ice cold just the other night and now he was burning up. Or maybe it was the fact that he was wearing swim shorts under his clothes. He couldn't remember putting them on but now everything was getting a bit hazy. He continued walking down the street without a particular direction. He knew that eventually he would have to rest, but the outside air was better than the stuffy indoor air of the dorm room.

Turning one last corner he found himself at the old swim building from middle school. The sun was setting and the worn paint on the walls looked creepy. Hearing a cracking noise, Rin almost jumped into the air. Spinning around he saw a tall shadowed figure just standing behind him.

"Who…?" he started.

Makoto's green eyes became visible. Rin almost let his mouth drop open, but pressed his lips together. Was that really Makoto? Sure he'd always been tall but he wasn't the same boy Rin had played with as a child. Even through the jacket Rin could make out broad shoulders. It was disorienting. Dragging his eyes to the other boy's face, he saw a familiar smile.

"Rin-chan" Makoto smiled brightly.

He took a step forward to hug him, but hesitated. Rin was still staring at him blankly.

"Makoto…" Rin couldn't find the right words for now.

His heart was beating quickly and he felt dizzy. His head lifted off of his shoulders as the ground rushed to meet his face.

"Rin!"


	4. Cold

Rin's lips felt so cold. Pressing them together he felt warmth draining from his back. He opened his eyes and found Makoto staring at him. He couldn't remembering falling, but now he was lying on the cold hard ground. Mako was talking to him but he couldn't hear the words coming from his mouth.

"Rin?" Makoto reached his fingertips towards Rin's face.

Rin caught his hand easily starting to sit up. He rubbed the back of his head and groaned. It always seemed like the green-eyed boy was helping him with everything.

"I'm fine…", Rin mumbled not meeting his eyes.

Makoto tilted his head and stood up fully, holding his hand out for the redhead. Rin took his hand and pulled himself up. He still felt dizzy but something about being close to Makoto was making him feel better. Finally meeting Makoto's eyes, he saw concern. His heart was thundering in his chest urging him to comfort the taller boy.

"Rin-chan...are you okay?" Makoto fiddled with his gloves.

Rin nodded instantly putting his hands into his pockets. The tension between the both seemed to be building for no reason in particular. Makoto looked at the ground trying to form his words together. He absently bit his lip and Rin had to look away. That action made him feel uncomfortable.

"Are we still friends Rin-chan?" Makoto looked up.

That was a dumb question.

"I thought so?" Rin felt like he was in middle school again.

Makoto's head perked up. His eyes shone and brightened. It looked like he was glowing compared to the dull colors of the passing winter. He smiled his trademark motherly smile.

"So you didn't see my text message?" he flipped open his own phone still smiling like an idiot.

Rin pouted pulling his phone out of his pocket. Sure enough, his phone was off. Turning it on, he saw one message from Makoto. A simple : 'Would you come visit us?'. Rin tried to keep a straight face while nostalgia welled inside of him. It felt warm and cozy to have someone want him somewhere.

"I saw it…" Rin shrugged nonchalantly.

Makoto's face fell a bit but he chuckled reassuring himself. His eyes traced over Rin's wrist and he pressed his lips together.

"You're not wearing the bracelet we gave you?" Makoto clutched the sleeve of his coat in his hand.

Rin looked at his wrist. The familiar trinket that his old friends had given him was nowhere to be seen. He must've left it in his dorm room. It wasn't like he could let Makoto know that he still had such a thing. He'd never admit that he never took it off while he was in Australia. He wore it during every competition, all the training, even while he slept.

"I think I lost it or something…" Rin rubbed his nose.

"Ah…" Makoto seemed to be at a loss for words. "That's...unfortunate…" he rubbed his nose as well.

Mako's smile faded quickly as he hugged himself for warmth. Rin rubbed the back of his neck not sure what to say. Rin cleared his throat.

"I'm staying in Japan for now", he managed.

"Eh? Really?" Makoto took a step closer opening his arms but stopped.

"I go to Samezuka down the street", Rin pointed at his school.

"You should meet everyone else, they'd be so glad!" Makoto seemed so excited now.

Without another hesitation he moved forward with a bright smile.

"But you look tired, so I'll text you later, okay?" he chuckled again.

Rin pouted. How could Makoto act so casually happy right now? They'd transitioned right from tense to calm so smoothly. And it still felt uncomfortable for Rin. He shrugged again. He couldn't let himself feel enthusiastic.

"I'm really fine", he waved Makoto off. "But I do have to get back to my dorm".

He couldn't remember why he'd left in the first place. He no longer felt feverish, but he was still tired. Makoto smiled brightly chuckling again, sweetly.

"We all missed you", Makoto grinned. "Will you be okay going back by yourself?"

Rin resisted the urge to smile at the concern.

"Like I said, I'm fine", he ran his fingers through his hair.

Makoto's phone buzzed. He checked it quickly and his face showed surprise.

"Ah…I have to go, my parents want me to watch my siblings, we should catch up later", he turned to leave.

Rin felt his stomach drop. Makoto would be leaving him behind again.

"Yeah" he answered as Makoto ran off.

"Bye Rin-chan!"

Rin stood in the post-winter cold exhaling loudly. Standing alone there, his thoughts swirled around him. There was nothing keeping him in the place, so he turned to leave. Everything was becoming annoying.

He wasn't even sure where he was walking. His feet dragged forward, as he trudged back towards the old swimming building. The sun had set and darkness was clouding his vision. Rin inhaled the crisp, dry air. He was feeling better today. His head was clearer, his mind more focused, and his energy returning.

The gloomy swimming building lurked in the center of the school yard casting menacing shadows. Taking long strides, Rin was within the building in moments. His fingertips traced the dusty walls of crumbling paint as he went down hallway after hallway. Wind whistled through the decaying structure making it seem more ominous.

Rin stopped at the main clubroom. Inside, tables sat in awkward positions along with chairs strewn messily on the floor. Each step he took echoed through the entire building as he approached an old photograph. He took it up in his hands as his eyes traced over the round faces of his old friends. Their eyes seemed so bright and cheerful, compared to now. What really stood out, was how dull Makoto seemed now. When they were younger, Rin could swear he saw the sun seem incomparable to the brightness of Mako's eyes. And that smile could warm him more than any summer day.

Now that he thought about it, when had he started thinking about Makoto that way? He dropped the picture back on the shelf and picked up an old trophy. He stepped back out into the hallway. He made his way back to the main corridor when he heard voices. The whispers filled the building haunting Rin's thoughts. Memories flooded back crushing against him like a brick wall. Clenching his hands into fists, he stalked towards the voices. They sounded like children.

He was surprised to find Haru, Nagisa, and Makoto standing before him when he got to the end of the hallway. His breath caught in his throat as he struggled to find words at his lips.

"Yo", slipped out.

He couldn't take it back. Whatever happened next would be purely chance. He wasn't sure how he would deal with Haru after what had last happened between them. Facing him now made him uneasy. The one person who always seemed to be his competition.

"Rin-chan!" Nagisa rushed towards him but Rin held his hand out.

"Haru…" he trailed off meeting the raven's eyes.

Haruka kept a steady gaze with him. Nagisa's face became disappointed.

"...let's race", he finished starting towards the old pool.

Haru nodded following close after him. His blood was boiling in his veins. He tried to ignore the fact that Makoto had been clinging to Haru for dear life. It hurt so much, to see them getting on fine without him. He would show Haru. The one who always looked through him, looked down on him. Even if he wasn't that good, he was still better than Haru.

The two began stripping off layer after layer of clothes until they got to the empty pool. The large opening in the ground sat dismally filled with dark water stains.

"Tch", Rin vocalized his frustration. "Whatever…", he stood there in just his swim shorts.

Tossing their old trophy onto the ground he searched for Makoto's gaze. He found pain and hurt. Dragging his eyes back to Haru's expression, he saw the familiar nothingness. Nagisa looked completely left out and confused. This wasn't even between the rest of them. This was all Haru's fault…

No…

Who's fault was this?

"I don't need this anymore", he turned and walked away.

He truly didn't need it.


End file.
